Lately it seems like every other fragrance launch comes from Coty and every new skin care product is from an Estee subsidiary. This is why it’s so comforting to know that one of the first dermatologist designed skin care lines is still independently owned.

The brother-sister team Dr. Howard Sobel and Elaine Linker pioneered the lab chic sector of the skin care market with their company, Doctor’s Dermatologic Formula, and their regimen, Cleanse, Protect, Treat. Their latest product, RMX, targets AMEX Black cardholders like competitors La Mer and Kanebo, but the philosophy is entirely different. RMX, a complex comprised of growth factor proteins and peptides, revitalizes the connective tissue cells by stimulating the activity of cells that produce collagen and elastin. This process helps firm skin and reduce the depth of wrinkles.

RMX comes in three varieties: Maximum, Intense, and Essential. Maximum and Intense are meant to be used twice a year while the Essential is a milder, more affordable treatment to be used regularly. The Essential is merely a set of 56 packets of the growth factor and peptide complex, for usage twice daily. However, the Maximum is serious business. For a whopping $1000 you get 28 Essential complex packets, 28 glycolic exfoliating packets, RMX Maximum Prep, and the frozen vials of growth hormone proteins, which are delivered to your home. Given the many steps Maximum involves and the price to maintain the Essential, it seems the best option is Intense.

To further your confidence, their study tested 31 subjects for eight weeks. While the sample size isn’t huge and the length of the study is double most, the results showed overwhelming results; 100 percent of subjects noticed a reduction of pores and 93 percent noticed improved elasticity, and improved moisture around the eyes. Furthermore, not only does a nationally recognized dermatologist co-own this company, but Canadian biologist, Paul Brazeau, Ph.D., creates the products via a partnership between DDF and his biotech company, NexCell Biosciences.

Let’s not forget that while the creative ideas may come out of America, the science is done, for the most part, in France, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, and Canada. After all, the queen of all injections, Botox, made it’s way to the consumer marketplace through our neighbors up north.